May 1987
- A young woman is raped in Scarborough, Ontario - The first in a chain of rapes committed by the person the media says is the Scarborough Rapist. - Paul Bernardo would later admit to sexual assaults of at least 14 of these cases - Bernardo faces 53 charges related to the rape, and murder of young women |
October 17, 1987
- Paul Bernardo, who was 23 years old, meets Karla Homolka, age 17, at a hotel restaurant in Scarborough, Ontario |
Three girls that Paul Bernardo raped/murdered. |
December 24, 1989
- Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka are engaged |
1990
- Bernardo loses his job - He tries to make money by smuggling cigarettes. |
July 1990
- Paul Bernardo served Karla Homolka’s sister, Tammy, spaghetti, filled with Valium stolen from Karla’s work - Bernardo raped Tammy for about a minute before she woke up |
November 20, 1990
- Bernardo is questioned about the Scarborough rapes and provides the Metro Toronto Police with hair, blood, and saliva samples |
December 23, 1990
- After a family Christmas party, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka drug Tammy Homolka with animal tranquilizers that Karla stole from her work - Bernardo and Karla rape Tammy while she is unconscious - Tammy later chokes on her own vomit and dies - Bernardo tells police that he tried to save her, but failed - Her death is ruled an accident |
January 1991
- Bernardo picks up a young female hitchhiker and brings her back to Homolka’s home - He rapes her in Karla’s bedroom - He drops her off in an alley |
February 1, 1991
- Bernardo and Homolka rent a house in St. Catharines |
June 14, 1991
- Bernardo kidnaps 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy from outside her home in Burlington, Ontario - With Homolka, he rapes and murders her |
June 29, 1991
- Bernardo and Homolka are married - Mahaffy's remains are found in concrete in Lake Gibson near St. Catharines, Ontario |
April 16, 1992
- Bernardo, with the help of Homolka, kidnaps Kristen French from a church parking lot on her way home from school in Burlington, Ontario - After raping and torturing her for days, they kill her and leave her body naked in a ditch with her hair cut off |
April 30, 1992
- French's body is found in a ditch north of Burlington, Ontario |
December 1992
- the Centre of Forensic Sciences begins DNA testing of the samples Bernardo provided in 1990 |
January 1993
- Bernardo beats Homolka with a flashlight, leaving her with two black eyes (picture below) - Homolka files charges against Paul Bernardo |
February 17, 1993
- Bernardo is arrested - Later find that officers, that were in charge, violated Bernardo's charter of rights by not allowing him to call a lawyer, even with his repeated requests, making this part of the investigation inadmissible as evidence |
February 19, 1993
- Search warrant begins in Bernardo’s home in St. Catharines - This was a 71-day search - Police fail to find videotapes containing the recordings of the rapes of Mahaffy, French, Tammy, and at least one other girl. |
May 6, 1993
- Ken Murray, Bernardo's lawyer, gains entrance to Bernardo's home. - Murray gets the videotapes from a ceiling light fixture in his upstairs bathroom - He would keep the videos in his possession for 16 months |
May 1993
- The plea agreement between Crown prosecutors and Homolka's lawyers are finalized |
June 28, 1993
- Homolka's trial begins |
July 1993
- Homolka pleads guilty to two counts of manslaughter and receives a 12-year jail sentence - Her pleas and the statement of facts agreed to by her lawyer and the Crown are both covered by a publication ban ordered by the judge to ensure a fair trial for Bernardo |
September 1994
- Ken Murray quits as Bernardo's lawyer - Hands Bernardo's videotapes over to his successor, John Rosen - Rosen turns the videos over to police later in the month |
May 18, 1995
- Bernardo's trial begins |
June 29, 1995
- Homolka testifies against Bernardo |
September 1, 1995
- Bernardo is found guilty of all counts against him, including two counts of first-degree murder for killing French and Mahaffy |
September 15, 1995
- Bernardo is sentenced for life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years |
November 1995
- Bernardo is declared a dangerous offender, meaning he will spend the rest of his life in jail |
April 1996
- An Ontario Court judge rules that videotapes showing the rape and torture of Bernardo's victims must be destroyed when they are not needed for legal purposes |
July 1996
- A 6 month inquiry into the police investigation shows that mistakes were made by police departments and individual police - Conclude that some of Bernards's crimes could have been prevented if the DNA samples were processed quicker |
January 1997
- Ken Murray is charged with obstruction of justice and possession of child pornography for failing to turn over the Bernardo tapes. |
Summer 1997
- Homolka is transferred to Joliette Institution in Quebec when the Kingston Prison for Women is closed. |
September 21, 2000
- The Supreme Court of Canada denies Bernardo's leave to appeal his murder convictions. |
December 2001
- The six videotapes depicting the rape and torture of Bernardo and Homolka's victims are destroyed |
December 16, 2004
- The National Parole Board rules that Homolka must stay in prison for her full term, ending July 5, 2005. |
April 12, 2005
- Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant says Homolka will not be charged with killing her sister when she is released from prison in July. |
July 4, 2005
- Karla Homolka is released from prison after her 12-year sentence. - She gets out of the St. Anne des Plaines prison, where she had been transferred about a month before her release - Reporters wait outside the prison for days to catch a glimpse of her leaving - A prison official and the lawyer for the victims' families confirm the release |
February 21, 2006
- Bernardo's lawyer reveals that Bernardo confessed in October 2005 to at least 10 more sexual assaults |
June 7, 2007
- Bernardo meets with police and Crown attorneys to discuss the 1990 disappearance and presumed killing of Elizabeth Bain |
June 10, 2008
- A judge rules that Bernardo's case can be broadcasted - Bernardo's police interview regarding the case can be published on television and the web |
June 16, 2010
- Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said an agreement has been reached between all federal parties to pass a bill that would prevent offenders like Karla Homolka from applying for a pardon
- Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said an agreement has been reached between all federal parties to pass a bill that would prevent offenders like Karla Homolka from applying for a pardon